Revista Ciência em Extensão (Dec 2016)
DIAGNOSIS AND HEALTH EDUCATION IN MEDICINAL HERBS USE: EXPERIENCE REPORT
Abstract
The use of medicinal plants associated to popular culture spread over generations, whether in traditional or contemporary communities through empirical knowledge, the result of observations and experiences, providing important field generator of knowledge. The objective of this study was to report the experience the identification of medicinal plants used traditionally for the treatment of diseases in general, the population of Japaratuba - SE and develop and implement a plan in the field of health education with the construction of a road map for intervention in health-themed medicinal plants. It was interviewed 30 seniors residents in Japaratuba - SE who had greater knowledge about the use of herbal medicine, selected through appointment of local residents during the course of "Projeto Rodon – Operação Rio do Siris”, from Ministério da Defesa in 2011. The interviews took place-using questionnaires, open-ended, and then workshops for guidance on care in cultivation / use of medicinal plants were delivered in a systematic manner, with production of a draft analysis of interventions. 25 ethnospecies were mentioned, 52% of common usage in the visited communities; featuring some (“erva cidreira” - Melissa spp, indicated by users to gastrointestinal problems and high blood pressure and “aroeira” - Myracodruon spp, as indicated by the same healing), handling errors (clinical herbal preparation), this being corrected with the workshops and methodological evaluation of interventions. This plan can be a guideline reproducible in several communities, guiding health professionals in relation to the patient and guidelines on conscientious and safe use of medicinal plants, improving therapeutic success on primary care through training of multipliers of knowledge and minimizing exposure and health risks.
